Beer, bites and bingo with a twist at popular food festival

A series of workshops will serve as the perfect accompaniment to a County Durham food festival's tempting line-up this spring.

Thousands of people attended Bishop Auckland Food Festival last year

From bingo with a refreshing twist, to discovering the best snacks to pair with a pint, Bishop Auckland Food Festival will host special interactive sessions when it returns on Saturday, 13 April, and Sunday, 14 April.

The workshops will complement the action-packed programme of foodie fun taking place at our event, with celebrity chefs including BBC MasterChef co-host Gregg Wallace and more than 150 traders heading to the historic market town.

Some of the mouth-watering local produce on sale will also be incorporated into Beer and Bites, an interactive session that combines fascinating brewers' tales with beer tasting and locally produced nibbles. The sessions take place at 1.30pm on the Saturday and Sunday and tickets cost £12 including beer tastings and nibbles.

Gin School also returns this year, transforming the quintessentially British pastime of Bingo into Gingo. Games take place at 12pm and 3pm on the Saturday and Sunday and tickets cost £12, including gin and tonic combinations, a game of bingo and the chance to win top prizes. A full house is expected so book now to avoid missing out.

Festival producer Bev Channell said: "We are so excited to bring Gingo and Beer and Bites to Bishop Auckland. Our workshops provide an opportunity for people with a shared passion for food and drink to get together and try new things. We will be announcing more classes and activities over the next few weeks, so keep checking our website and social media feeds for the latest festival news."

Other celebrities appearing at the event next month include actress and restauranteur Jennie McAlpine, BBC MasterChef's reigning champion Kenny Tutt, Great British Bake Off semi-finalist Briony May Williams and television presenters Angellica Bell and Stefan Gates.

Last year, the festival attracted 27,000 people to Bishop Auckland, resulting in record sales for traders and boosting the local economy by more than £530,000. Entry will be free once again this year and festival-goers can also look forward to live music and children's entertainment.

Bishop Auckland Food Festival is part of #Durham19, a year-long campaign led by Visit County Durham, the council and other partners to celebrate the many cultural events taking place across the county this year.

To find out about the exiting events taking place in County Durham this year visit the Durham19 page